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Author Biography

Hello, I'm L.D. Bloodworth. I have always loved reading romantic thrillers and thriller novels and so it was only natural that I should want to write them as well. Being a huge fan of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Nora Roberts, and Charlotte Bronte, I make every effort to take my writing cues from them. I first read Stephen King's "It" in the sixth grade and ever since have enjoyed the thrill of horror novels. I fell in love with Mr. Rochester of Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" in high school and so my love affair with romance novels was begun. Combining my two favorite genres has led me into the romantic thriller and romantic suspense realm where I like to combine present danger with provocative love affairs.
I hope to establish emotional connections with my readers through my writing and provide them with the rush of an intense experience they will not soon forget.

Book Review

Reviewed by Viga Boland for Readers' Favorite

Throughout this suspenseful story, Make Your Bones, Wren Bouchard lives with the threat of a bloody finish to her life, thanks to her unfortunate hook-up, as a teen, with an obsessive hitman. A brutal control freak, hell-bent on proving to himself and others that he has “made his bones”, he offers Wren a high class lifestyle with all the glitter and glamour money can buy. Alternately, he demands full subjugation and obedience from her, and when his beatings bring her to a breaking point, she rebels. She gets away from him, but ultimately pays for her freedom with her parents’ lives. From then on, she is on the run, but ever fearful he may find her and administer the bloody vengeance he craves for her betrayal. Seven years later, she meets the mysterious and mystical Croy of Indian heritage. Their undeniable attraction for each other is both physical and spiritual. But as Wren falls deeper and deeper in love, she fears that Croy and his teen son are in danger because of her demonic ex.

This author’s name, L.D. Bloodworth, is perfect for the romantic thriller Make Your Bones with its plot and characters connected through blood-tainted events and a mysticism that hints at spiritual blood links. As the book barrels along quickly to its explosive climax, readers will find relief from the tension in the realistically passionate sex scenes between Croy and Wren, the touching motherly relationship between Wren and Croy’s son, Bo, and Croy’s intuitive and mystical abilities. Make Your Bones is a very different kind of thriller: it frightens but it’s realistic; it differentiates between true and obsessive love; and it suggests that some people are indeed born to be together. In short, this thriller is more about people than plot, a kind of literary thriller fiction. Definitely my kind of book and recommended reading.

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Lesley Jones

In Make Your Bones by L.D. Bloodworth, Wren Bouchard was once a promising student until Aiden Luciano walked into her father's bar. Now years later, she is the obedient, bruised and compliant girlfriend of Mafia hitman Aiden, torn from her family with no possible escape. After one sadistic beating, the ball of rage that Wren has tried to ignore for so long suddenly explodes, causing a chain of events that change her life forever. Wren is now on the run with a new identity. Believing Aiden to be in prison, she tries to rebuild her life in the mountain town of Valley Spring, Colorado, where she meets rugged and charming Croy. Although she tries to resist her feelings for him, Croy manages to heal her emotional scars and together they look forward to the future. But out of prison and intent on revenge, Aiden is closer than Wren thinks. As he watches from a distance, he revels in how he will make Wren suffer.

Make Your Bones by L.D. Bloodworth is a fast-moving story that will send shivers down your spine. Some of the scenes of sadistic brutality were uncomfortable to read because they were so realistic. What I thought most impressive about this novel was how the author can reach inside your soul and ignite fear, dread and terror. All of the characters were created with absolute care and detail, even the minor ones. I loved the twists in the plot, and every time you let your guard down, the psychological game of cat and mouse returns. The development of the characters was also superb. Wren and Croy rescue one another emotionally, and slowly glue the broken pieces of their souls back together again. Finding each other has given each of them courage to put old ghosts to bed and fight for their chance of happiness. The ending was explosive and set my heart racing. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a psychological thriller with multi-layered story lines.

K.C. Finn

Make Your Bones is a work of romantic thriller fiction penned by author L.D. Bloodworth. This suspenseful work of female drama focuses on the life and mistakes of Wren Bouchard, a woman who fell in love as a teenager and sparked a relationship that would change the course of her whole life. When she breaks ties with her mafia boyfriend Aidan Luciano, Wren becomes the catalyst that sees him locked away. But Aidan has plenty of connections, and they chase Wren all over the country as she attempts to lie low and live normally. When she meets the mysterious stranger Croy, however, she realises that normal is something she can never be again.

Author L.D. Bloodworth has a superb knack for creating tense and suspenseful moments in fiction. Wren’s set-up is done beautifully to indicate the extreme threats of violence and death that may befall her if she lands in Aidan’s clutches again, and that shadow of threat follows us as we read through her journey together. Strong in both presentation of character and plot, the slow-burning romantic elements of the tale are wonderful to see developing, all the while coated in suspicion. The dialogue was well written, direct and realistic, whilst the prose focused on bringing the characters into life more than the settings. I also found the plot and its conclusion very satisfying, having been waiting for it the whole read. Overall, Make Your Bones is an edge of your seat read that all adult fans of romance and thrillers will devour.